Pune FC face United SC in a must-win encounter

Pune FC face must-win situation when they take on United SC in a round-2 clash of the 35th Federation Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, here tomorrow.
The Group A game is important for both the teams as they attempt to catch up with group-leaders Churchill Brothers after heartbreak results in the opening round.
The face-off between the two teams is the second-ever in the Federation Cup after the 1-1 group stage draw in the previous edition at Jamshedpur. Moreover, this is the third clash in less than two months.
United SC will go into the game after an opening round loss and an unsatisfactory two-month period, something Pune FC hope to exploit.

Being low on morale owing to financial problems, the Kolkata side have struggled to log a top-flight win in nine games since last the week of November.
Apart from poor results, injuries have hit United SC hard in the recent past forcing them to miss the services of some key players.
With a new goalkeeper in Jayanta Paul and the team missing services of talismanic defender Bello Rasaq, problems were evident as United conceded two goals on counter attacks against Churchill.
The Pune FC-attack led by Riga Mustapha, Douhou Pierre and James Meyer will be looking to exploit these weak links in opponent's defense.